VIC · Melbourne — south-east growth area · Local council, made simple
Cardinia Shire Council
About 133,000 people live in Cardinia Shire on Melbourne's south-eastern edge, from the Pakenham and Officer growth corridor to the Dandenong Ranges hills towns and the farming districts near Western Port. The council runs your bins, local roads, parks, libraries and planning, and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, followed by what affects your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate rise, the new rating categories, bin charges and how to pay.
2026–27: average general rates +2.75% (state cap); new rating categories
Open →Budget & financesCardinia's financial indicators, each shown next to the Victorian median.
Average rate per property: $1,880 (Vic median $1,937)
Open →Crime & safetyCardinia's recorded offence rates, side by side with the Victorian rate.
9 of 11 offence rates below the Victorian rate
Open →Mayor & councillorsYour ward councillor, the Mayor, and how to contact them.
Mayor: Cr Brett Owen (since Nov 2025)
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, how Cardinia's 9 wards vote, and the 2024 results.
Next election: Sat 28 Oct 2028 (by post)
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council: phone, email and address.
Phone: 1300 787 624
Open →City profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: 133,472 (ABS, June 2025)
Open →What's happening
5 updatesRecent items from Cardinia Shire Council's public channels, in plain language.
We check Cardinia Shire Council's website every day, but we can't read it. It refuses requests from our collector, so anything below was recorded by hand and may be out of date. This says nothing about what the council has published — these are the pages we watch:
- Have your say
Draft Planning Scheme Review Part B open for submissions
The council has put Part B of its Cardinia Planning Scheme Review on exhibition. Part B reviews local planning policies, zones and overlays and recommends future work; Part A was endorsed on 15 June 2026. The council says this is the final stage of community engagement for the review.
What this means for you: You can make a written submission by email, post or at the Officer Civic Centre. The review doesn't change zoning on individual properties.
Source: Creating Cardinia
- Development
Pakenham Golf Course: shortlisted proposals move to the next stage
After an expression-of-interest process, the council is taking shortlisted proponents to a request-for-proposal stage to decide the future management and operation of the Pakenham Golf Course at Deep Creek Reserve. In the 2025 consultation, 82% of participants said keeping golf met community needs well or very well.
What this means for you: No decision has been made on the operator yet. The golf course function space is available for bookings, now including evenings and weekends.
Source: Creating Cardinia
- Have your say
Proposed changes to the Governance Rules: comments until 21 October
The council is consulting on amendments to its Governance Rules, which set out how it runs meetings, elects the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and manages conflicts of interest. Consultation runs from 22 September to 21 October 2026, with a final vote planned for the December council meeting.
What this means for you: Read the draft rules and the summary of changes on the council's engagement site, and send a written submission to its Governance team if you want to comment.
Source: Creating Cardinia
- Policy
2026–27 Budget and new rating categories endorsed
At its June 2026 meeting, the council endorsed its 2026–27 Budget and the updated Revenue and Rating Plan 2025–29. Average general rates rise by 2.75%, the state cap. The plan moves to 11 rating categories, lowering the farm rate and raising the urban vacant land rate, and funds a $66.3 million capital works program.
What this means for you: Your 2026–27 rates notice reflects these figures. See the Rates & fees topic for the rates in the dollar and bin charges.
Source: Creating Cardinia
- Waste
Council votes to delay the glass-only bin
At its 16 February 2026 meeting, the council voted to delay introducing the Victorian Government's separate glass bin until the government endorses service standards, and to write to ministers asking for more time and for the state's business case. The council cited cost and its current recycling results, and proposed expanding the Container Deposit Scheme to wine and spirit bottles instead.
What this means for you: For now, glass bottles and jars still go in your yellow recycling bin. The state's deadline for a glass service is July 2027.
Source: The National Tribune (reprint of Cardinia Shire Council release)
Email alerts aren't switched on yet
We haven't started sending email, so we're not taking addresses for now. New items from Cardinia Shire Councilshow up under “What's happening” above as we find them, each linked to its official source.